Friday, 17 July 2009

Blunted Robots is a brand new label run by two young upstarts, Brackles and Shortstuff. Whilst both enjoying success with their own releases, Brackles on Planet Mu and Applepips and Shortstuff on Ramp, they’ve combined their passion for future sounds and skwee melodies with a want to own and release records that overlap the fringes of funky, garage and dubstep; and this first release reflects this perfectly.

‘Innami’ is a rough and ready bashment style house track with broken riddims and full on vocals. It’s full of energy brought on by the freaked out bass pulses and deranged synth lines that twist into warped waves and bleeped out shapes. Mickey Pearce has here constructed a rudeboy hybrid of mutant funky and computer bashment that would undoubtedly make his Nan the proudest grandmother in all the land.

The flip ‘No Charisma’ by Martin Kemp has been making a lot of noise and getting plays from everyone from Cooly G to his sibling Brackles and beyond. It’s a futuristic take on funky with dub wise sensibilities; the broken beats skip and bump with a chunky, punchy precision whilst the synth lines shimmer and evolve from meek pads into sheets of pure Detroit dancefloors. The main hook is erratic, squalling round its pitches like a petulant bulldog with mad energy, but it’s the main combo of deep space bass and succulent percussion that makes it such an essential purchase.